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more aggressive harnesses installed standard as they
put it, "everyone is going to want a multi-point harness
in their SXS anyway."
The rest of the vehicles features, and benefits seemed
to fit with Brent and Haley's intended use across the
board. From suspension travel to the power output, the
Honda Talon 1000R seems like a good choice for them
as they geared up for a ride.
After the First Ride
Brent and Haley aren't new to off-road, the desert or
even SXS driving. They drive their friends' and families'
SXS often and grew up riding from Arizona to California
in the American Southwest on dirt bikes, quads and the
like. So, it didn't take long for them to feel comfortable
buckling in and kicking up some dust in the Honda
Talon 1000R.
Their first impressions were positive—much like our
first drive impressions were in Utah. Earlier in 2019. And
you can hear all about them in the video. But without
leading into any details in particular, Brent—the primary
driver of the duo—found something that performed
way above his, and our expectations.
Honda i-4WD for the win
The Honda i-4WD system is a very unique piece of
off-road technology that incorporates wheel brake
force technology to direct wheel-turning power to those
with more traction. It does this by activating the brakes
on wheels that are slipping. As engine torque transfers
to grounded wheels or those with more traction than
others, the result is drive force moving the vehicle
forward. Honda describes it as if you had a locking front
differential when wheels slip and a free differential
when they're all gripping. In theory, it should provide
extremely high levels of traction with nimble handling.
Well, right away we hit some very fun, slot-car-style
two-track trails just outside Tucson's city limits. The
roads and trails are well used, and it's July, so the terrain
is hard with a layer of loose, marbled dirt on top. This